Chapter 90

If one is not strong enough, there will always be weaknesses. Although he can avoid most risks, for his fragile body, even if there is less than one in ten thousand chance that it will actually happen to him, he will not be able to bear it.

Moreover, the already somewhat weak human body is finding it increasingly difficult to fight... cough, in order to avoid a certain tragic future, Ai Yue arranged for himself to undergo the Fused Warrior surgery.

Of course, if you want to become Fused Warrior, you have to choose the strongest Honkai Beast. While the Judgment-class Honkai Beast are powerful, for Ai Yue, Brahma's characteristics are what he likes the most.

That's why he chose to be the first test subject before Kevin.

"Um, when should I have the surgery?"

To change the subject, Kevin quickly said, "I need to get used to my new teammates during this time, so I need to schedule the surgery in advance."

"No rush,"

Ai Yue waved his hand, then changed the subject, "When do you and Dr. Mei plan to have children?"

"Ah?"

Kevin was stunned by Ai Yue's sudden turn and attack, and stood there dumbfounded. "Wait, is this related to the Brahma Project?"

"Of course it's related. You don't think that after participating in the Brahma Project, you'll be able to act like a normal person, do you?"

Ai Yue looked at Kevin with a subtle gaze. "Although it's just a simulation, if the Brahma Project is completed, your genes will undergo drastic changes, leading to reproductive isolation from ordinary people. You should understand what that means, right?"

"I understand, so you don't need to explain..."

Kevin quickly waved his hand, afraid that Ai Yue would give him a sex education lesson on the spot, "Well, Mei's body isn't suitable right now... so we don't have that plan..."

"That won't do!"

Ai Yue's voice suddenly rose eight octaves, "Give birth! We must give birth! And one child is not enough!"

Are you kidding me? If you two don't want children, where will the Kaslana family come from?

"Why are you getting so agitated..."

Ai Yue's reaction completely baffled Kevin. He looked puzzled, clearly not understanding what the other was thinking. "You know Mei's body. It's not something you can just decide to have a child on a whim."

Due to physical damage caused by long-term work, coupled with close contact with various dangerous items, Dr. Mei's current physical condition is very worrying, as Kevin had mentioned before.

Although things have improved over time, the damage is almost irreversible. Moreover, Moth to Fire is now inseparable from Dr. Mei's care, so it is virtually impossible for the two of them to have a child through conventional means.

Dr. Mei's physical damage was so severe that she was unable to undergo the Fused Warrior surgery. Even now, the Fused Warrior surgery requires participants to have a robust physique. In Dr. Mei's case, even if she received the Hypervariable Factor, she simply could not withstand the risk of activation.

"I thought it was some kind of difficulty, is this all?"

Ai Yue waved his hand and said, "You guys just focus on driving, I'll take care of the solution."

Ai Yue had previously said he would help Dr. Mei with her health problems, but the causes of her injuries were extremely complex. They included damage from Honkai Energy radiation, damage from prolonged desk work, and even unknown distortions caused by contact with the Sea of Quantum. These were things that Ai Yue could not solve before.

It's important to know that the Moth to Fire not only has experts in the field of genetics, but also the world's strongest medical team, as well as the Herrscher Core of the Sixth Herrscher capable of repairing cell damage. However, even with the combined effect of all these factors, they still couldn't prevent Dr. Mei's death, which shows that her physical condition was definitely not ordinary.

But things are different now. Ai Yue, who has become a master in the field of biochemical modification, can solve Dr. Mei's problem in no time.

"Do you really have a solution?"

Upon hearing Ai Yue's words, Kevin suddenly stood up, staring intently at Ai Yue, "Are you sure you're not lying to me?"

He had sought help from others, but neither the expert in biology, Mobius, nor his friend Sue could do anything about it. They could only try to alleviate the symptoms, but could not stop Dr. Mei's condition from deteriorating further.

This is all without the "Key of Blank" project being activated. If the Key of Blank had been activated according to the original plot, Dr. Mei's life would probably have ended up rapidly.

To be honest, being stared at so closely by the strongest warrior in humankind was a very stressful thing. Although Ai Yue himself didn't feel much, the Brahma genes in his body were frantically warning him, reminding him of the powerful creature he was facing.

"Young man, don't get agitated."

Ai Yue waved his hand, gesturing for him to sit down. "Although it may require some time to recuperate, it's definitely not an insurmountable problem."

That's wonderful.

Kevin tried to calm himself down, sat back down, and put on a sincere expression. "Thank you, Ai Yue."

"It's nothing,"

Ai Yue leaned back in his chair and asked, "So when are you planning to have children?"

"... Can't we just skip this topic?"

How many children do you plan to have?

"... I will discuss the plan to have a child with Mei when I get back, and try to give you a definite answer as soon as possible."

"That's more like it."

Ai Yue nodded in satisfaction, then picked up the Hypervariable Factor on the low table. "Let's go then. I'll give you Brahma's Hypervariable Factor to use first."

"Huh, are we starting already?"

Kevin paused for a moment, "Didn't you say we had to wait until..."

"The Brahma Project is a long-term process, not something that can be accomplished overnight,"

Ai Yue stood up and walked outside. "With this, at least your body temperature problem can be completely solved. It's not a good idea to keep using 'Garuda' genes to simulate normal body temperature."

Besides, if I don't take this opportunity to get more samples from you, how can I carry out subsequent research?

30

Chapter 30: Tech-based armor is so lame.

Just as Ai Yue assured him, if he, as an ordinary human being, could succeed, then Kevin naturally had no reason to fail.

Therefore, he quickly climbed down from the operating table on his own.

"It doesn't feel particularly special?"

Kevin waved his arm curiously, "But the strength has definitely increased..."

A flicker of restless desire flashed in his eyes as he sensed the surging power within him, seemingly wanting to test it out immediately.

"If you want to do the testing, go outside. Australia such a big country, you can do whatever you want with it."

Ai Yue was tidying up his tools when he saw this and quickly stopped him, saying, "Don't blow a hole in here."

"Knew,"

Kevin then nodded honestly, "Speaking of which, in what form does Brahma's effect manifest in the human body?"

"Brahma himself doesn't possess any special abilities, but he can amplify the power you originally have,"

Ai Yue explained, "For example, as an ordinary person, I don't have any special abilities. So after integrating Brahma's genes, it only enhanced my physical attributes."

"Then what was that exoskeleton you showed before?"

Kevin asked in confusion, then realized, "Oh, it's the technology Dr. Mobius used before, called the Mutated Weapon?"

As he spoke of this, a hint of longing flickered in his eyes.

Although the armor provided by Ai Yue was very helpful in the battle, it was obviously far from reaching the level of the Mutated Weapon. Kevin still vividly remembered Mobius's performance in the previous battle. The effect of the Mutated Weapon was self-evident, given that it could give a scholar such powerful combat ability.

Moreover, compared to external systems like armor, Kevin prefers the power that comes from within himself. It not only gives him a sense of security that he has everything under control, but he can also improve his strength through self-training, which is truly perfect.

To be honest, when Ai Yue first messaged him, he thought it was finally his turn. Unfortunately, Ai Yue didn't seem to care about the matter at all, so he didn't dare to bring it up.

"The Mutated Weapon currently require different plans to be designed for different Fused Warrior, which is quite troublesome, so the coverage will be very low,"

Ai Yue explained, "Besides, you only had Parvati's genes in your body before, so even if we did it to you, it wouldn't have much effect. It's better to wait until the Brahma Project is completed and then deal with it together."

"I see,"

Kevin nodded, then asked eagerly, "So when can the Brahma Project be completed at the earliest? I'm ready to cooperate at any time!"

"You're dreaming. This thing needs to be gradually adapted to and observed. Besides, I can't possibly put all my energy into this one project."

Ai Yue could only sigh, "Besides, there won't be any further steps until you two have settled your important matters."

Kevin then remembered the premise of the Brahma Project, and scratched his head, revealing an awkward smile.

"The three Honkai Beast genes in your body still need a process of mutual adaptation and assimilation, which will last about 48 hours."

Ai Yue took a bracelet-like device from the side and handed it to Kevin. "Don't take it off during this time. It will record your body data and then feed it back to me so that I can make subsequent adjustments and designs."

After saying that, he added, "Also, if any mental reactions occur, record them. Don't just ignore them."

The bracelet can only collect data, but the psychological impact cannot be observed simply through data.

"Understood."

After Kevin brought it along, he asked, "Won't that affect my combat ability?"

He initially thought this was just a simple enhancement, but after hearing what Ai Yue said, he felt that there might be some instability.

"It shouldn't be that bad. As you go through this process, your power will only get stronger and stronger. There won't be any fluctuations or even a loss of ability."

Ai Yue thought for a moment and said, "However, we still need to familiarize ourselves with the changes in power beforehand, just in case we really have to go on a mission, so as not to hurt our own people."

"I see,"

Kevin stood up eagerly. "Then I'll head back now."

"Don't rush, since you're already here, help me clean up."

Ai Yue took a tablet and showed Kevin the surveillance footage of the surrounding area. "Recently, there have been more Honkai Beast around here. Go and help clean them up."

After Kevin left, Ai Yue stood up and took out the blood he had just collected from a storage cabinet next to him.

All ten containers were filled to the brim—it's only because Kevin's physical abilities are truly outrageous that anyone else, even Cosmo, would easily be weakened by Ai Yue's attacks.

Of course, it was precisely because it was Kevin that Ai Yue was able to extract such a large volume of blood, since Kevin was of great research value and this amount might not even be enough.

Unfortunately, I joined the Moth to Fire a little too late and didn't collect Kevin's sample when he was still a pure human. The materials I have now are all contaminated with Honkai Beast genes, so it will be a bit troublesome to purify Kevin's own genes from them.

I wonder how much of this blood will be left after purification.

Ai Yue put away the containers, left the operating room, and headed towards the small room where Kevin had seen him.

Although the place is large, most of the space is reserved for Queen and her bee swarm. Ai Yue doesn't need much space, since his most crucial "equipment" doesn't take up much room.

Pushing open the door, Ai Yue nodded in satisfaction as he looked at the laboratory, which had been tidied up again.

Although Queen likes to contradict others, she is actually quite obedient. It's just that she always feels like she has deviated from the growth path that Ai Yue originally designed for her.

She was originally designed to look like a lady from a respectable family, but now she feels like she's really turning into a queen.

If I had known this would happen, I should have named her something like "Nadeko" (抚子).

While pondering a jumble of thoughts, Ai Yue placed the container in his hand into the analyzer in the corner, intending to first examine just how complex the composition of Kevin's blood was.

He then woke up the computer from hibernation, shut down the initial draft of "Brahma Project," and reopened a blank document.

Kevin is indeed the protagonist of Brahma Project, but Ai Yue collected his blood not for Brahma Project.

Amid the humming of the equipment, Ai Yue pondered deeply and finally typed out a line of text.

What is the true meaning of the existence of the Herrscher?

31

Chapter Thirty-One: What flows in your veins?

Why do Herrscher exist?

This is actually a strange question, but Ai Yue is not the first person to raise this question.

Because before this, some people realized that if the Great Honkai was seen as a disaster, or an attack on human civilization by some higher-dimensional being, then the Herrscher were not actually necessary.

If we're talking about a unit that can unleash power, then Honkai Beast are actually a viable option. Since the first Great Honkai Outbreak, every Herrscher's Companion Honkai Beast has possessed abilities similar to the Herrscher. In other words, given that Honkai Beast are essentially species designed for destruction, placing the Herrscher Core on them might actually have a greater impact.

It is precisely because of this strange sense of incongruity that this question has been interpreted in many ways within the Moth to Fire. Some believe that humans were chosen as Herrscher to spread fear, that is, the people around you will one day become enemies of humanity, creating an atmosphere of panic in society. Others say that Honkai Beast do not have the ability to bear the Herrscher Core, and only humans can do it... To this day, no one has been able to come up with an answer that satisfies everyone.

Ai Yue suddenly began to think about this problem because it did indeed give Ai Yue an insight.

As a transmigrator, Ai Yue possessed a wealth of information beyond the imagination of ordinary people. Therefore, he was well aware that the source of the Honkai came from an existence called the "Cocoon of Finality," which originated from an extremely advanced civilization. Their purpose in creating the Cocoon of Finality was probably to subject other civilizations to trials, thereby enabling them to reach their own level.

With this information, the answer to "why do Herrscher exist" seems obvious.

The Cocoon of Finality is intended to demonstrate to humanity the possibility of evolution. If humanity truly has the ability to unravel the mysteries surrounding the Herrscher, it may evolve into a new race that controls power.

After typing out this text, Ai Yue frowned.

It sounds reasonable, but I feel like some details are being overlooked.

Ai Yue knew very well that if the plot were to develop normally, the Cocoon of Finality would not bring about evolution at all. Even if that was its purpose, from the perspective of the original plot, it was more like a struggle in despair, just like when humanity chose the Fusion Warrior Project. They knew it could not succeed, but they had no other way to go, so they could only grit their teeth and keep going, hoping that a miracle would happen.

A miracle belonging to humanity has indeed been born, but can a miracle belonging to the Cocoon of Finality truly be born?